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Toms River honors Pleasant Plains firefighters and dispatcher for on-scene lifesaving
Summary
The council issued a proclamation recognizing dispatcher Michael Coco and engine crew 30-41 (including Tom Pollaro, Charlie Bauer, Dylan Basil/Batzel and David Lechner) for resuscitation efforts on 07/08/2025 that left the patient alive and recovering.
Toms River Township on Jan. 10 issued a proclamation honoring members of the Pleasant Plains Fire Department and a dispatcher for life-saving efforts during a July 8, 2025 emergency.
The proclamation, read during the meeting, names dispatcher Michael Coco and engine crew 30-41 — identified in the record as officer Tom Pollaro, ex-chief and firefighter Charlie Bauer, firefighter Dylan (Basil/Batzel), and firefighter David Lechner — for administering CPR and using a defibrillator to restore a shockable rhythm and sustain the patient until medical personnel arrived. The proclamation states the patient survived and is now home and recovering.
Speakers praised volunteer firefighters and thanked the Veterans Commission for its parade work; council members and the proclamation’s presenters emphasized the crews’ professionalism and willingness to respond at any hour. The council extended formal recognition and a life-saving award to the named individuals.
The proclamation text, as read aloud, credited coordinated teamwork and specifically called out the dispatcher’s role in identifying the emergency and requesting engine responses. The council invited the honorees to the well to receive the citation.
